It’s against African culture to kneel while proposing to a woman- Kanayo
Veteran Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo has weighed in on the ongoing conversation regarding the common practice of bending the knee while proposing marriage to a woman.
Recall that another Nollywood veteran, Pete Edochie had earlier criticized the practice, holding that it goes against African traditional norms.
Expressing his view in an Instagram live post on his page on Tuesday, Kanayo categorically discouraged the practice.
According to him, the practice is merely a function of cultural imperialism and has no direct linkage on the African culture.
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“I’m an African and I stand with Pete Edochie on what he said. It is un-African today to kneel down to propose to a woman. I’m an African to that level. Like we always preach it is not all you see on TV that you copy. It is an Instagram lifestyle. It doesn’t stop you from living it. Live it the way you want. We are not also saying you must live with us in our stone age.
“Because when we talk about this, some people who think they are more intelligent than us tell us we are coming from the Stone Age. Don’t worry, live your technology age but it is not part of our culture” Kanayo said during an Instagram live session.
Earlier this year, Pete Edochie had stirred the hornet’s nest when he said that men who kneel to propose to women are “fools.”
He said this in a video which generated fiery reactions from Nigerians on social media.
“Any young man who gets on his knees to propose to a girl, is not just an idiot, he’s a bloody fool, a compound buffoon,” he said.
The veteran actor said in the video that the practice is an imitation of foreign culture which could symbolize that the man’s leadership place in the home has been emasculated.
“We are trying to copy white people, right? I believe in the sacrosanctity of our culture, the essence and the core of our culture,” he said.
“The white man kneels down to propose to a girl, you know what it means? The girl takes over the family. This is why whenever you disagree with your wife overseas, you are kicked out and the wife takes the house. As a young man, you should be in charge of your destiny. Kneeling down for a woman makes you a fool.”.
